Knowing how to handle stress is important and ensuring that you have good mental health. We will now go over what mental health is, what causes stress and how our brains respond to it. How would you define mental health? Most would call it a state of emotional well-being. The World Health Organization defines mental health as "a state of well-being in which an individual "realizes their own abilities, "can cope with the normal stresses of life, "can work productively "and is able to make a contribution to their community." Like physical health, mental health isn't static. We have days when we feel great and others when we don't. Living in the 21st century certainly has an impact. The past two decades have been a world of social media, information overload and uncertainty. We've been surrounded by a health crisis, increasing unemployment, a recession and other global concerns. It comes As no surprise that one of the main causes for poor mental health is linked to coping with daily, stressful situations and challenges. Representing mental health as a continuum helps us gain perspective on it. For example, take the information presented by this graph. On the vertical side, you have your level of well-being ranging from minimal to optimal. And on the horizontal side, you have a representation of time. Let's also add a line across the middle which represents an average level of well-being. Some days you might feel great and be thriving. In which case you are a way above the midpoint. On other days, you might be struggling and that will bring you down towards the bottom. We're all on the continuum because we all have mental health. At this stage, it's also important to acknowledge that if you're experiencing a crisis, then stress management techniques may not be enough and you should seek professional help to begin your recovery journey.